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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. net — for catching
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cold — not warm
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rock — music
  10. mark — a grade
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pit — a hole
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rock — a stone
  16. net — after costs
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. net — in sport
  21. key — in music
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. face — to confront

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com